I returned this evening from a very successful deer hunting trip with my friend Rick. This was my first deer hunt. The weather was beautiful! -5C at night and about +1C and sunny most days. We went to Rick's hunt camp which is just south west of Calabogie on the Madawaska River in Eastern Ontario. It is an amazing spot!
We were out for 5 days and hunted from dawn to dusk each day. I figure we walked close to 15kms each day. Needless to say I am TIRED!
We saw dozens of fresh scrapes and rubs. Here is a picture of one of the biggest:
I only saw one deer (we figure it was not cold enough yet for the deer to be on the move) and could not get a shot off , but I was nearly run over by a moose. It charged at me and then turned away at the last second.. I was scared
! ;-)
About 1 hour before the end of our hunt Rick shot a very nice 8-point buck. It was a clean shot (about 75 yards with a Sako 30/06) and the buck dropped dead in its tracks near one of our watches about 1.5kms from the river. It was tough work getting him out! Rick thinks he weighs in at close to 170 lbs. Not a huge buck, but certianly big enough for us!
While I struck out, I still consider it a very successful first hunt. I learned a lot and can not wait until next year!
Here is a picture of myself and Rick at the camp:
Here is the buck just before we loaded him on the boat for the trip home:
Ok, now to finish unpacking and start planning next years hunt ;-)
TomZ
We were out for 5 days and hunted from dawn to dusk each day. I figure we walked close to 15kms each day. Needless to say I am TIRED!
We saw dozens of fresh scrapes and rubs. Here is a picture of one of the biggest:
I only saw one deer (we figure it was not cold enough yet for the deer to be on the move) and could not get a shot off , but I was nearly run over by a moose. It charged at me and then turned away at the last second.. I was scared
! ;-)About 1 hour before the end of our hunt Rick shot a very nice 8-point buck. It was a clean shot (about 75 yards with a Sako 30/06) and the buck dropped dead in its tracks near one of our watches about 1.5kms from the river. It was tough work getting him out! Rick thinks he weighs in at close to 170 lbs. Not a huge buck, but certianly big enough for us!
While I struck out, I still consider it a very successful first hunt. I learned a lot and can not wait until next year!
Here is a picture of myself and Rick at the camp:
Here is the buck just before we loaded him on the boat for the trip home:
Ok, now to finish unpacking and start planning next years hunt ;-)
TomZ
